Looked like he said pussy tbh

A deaf/mute mate of mine reckons Zak called him a fecking pervert . He says (well ... not actually says , but you know what I mean ) there was definitely too many syllables for it to have been puff .

You're not funny

No one can be sure, but considering your friend is deaf and impartial he has alot more credibility than the witch hunters on here.

Is this really what Rugby League has come to?

Jeez - whatever happened to the sport we all fell in love with? The sort where;

Real men went toe to toe in battle,
Where a forwards job was to batter the other teams big men and intimidate their little more skillful players,
Where the backs would only mouth off if they were mental (eg Bobbie Goulding), or if they were hiding behind a monster pack,
Where 'working class' folk could go and enjoy the gladiatorial battle between 2 teams and come away satisfied both teams had given their all,
Where nobody gave two hoots about what sledging took place on the field,
Ultimately, where what happened on the pitch, stayed on the pitch, with everyone sharing a pint after the game.

These ridiculous mock outrage, political correctness, 1 up man-ship threads are pathetic and are a sad indictment of the state of not only rugby league, but society as a whole nowadays.

I'd love another breakaway in the sport, keeping the majority of the current rules, but getting back to the real game of rugby league where good hard hits are allowed (inc legal shoulder charges), where if a games boils over in the heat of the moment and a few punches are thrown, the ref deals with it with stern warnings in the 1st instance, where there's absolutely no focus on what's said between players on the pitch, where the players sort any issues out on the field and shake hands at the end and that's the end of it - I bet I know which the majority would rather watch!

Rugby league is fast moving away from the very principles and ethics that the sport has been built on. Imagine what some of the real men from the history of our game would think of this thread...

Serious question.

Is it homophobic if I call someone I know to be straight a puff?

Does the word puff only have homophobic connotations or can it not have a similar meaning to wimp? That's the way we used it as kids and it's the way I still use it now. I would never dream of calling someone who is homosexual a puff, firstly because I would never want to deliberately offend someone and secondly, that's not what the word means to me.

I thought Hardaker said "f***ing poof" which is much worse because it can be understood in Australia. This means that he could be subject to Australia's anti-discrimination laws which would see him banned from even entering Australia for the Four Nations in October.

Unless of course he was appearing on the footy show, the continuous call team on 2GB or on either of triple M's footy programmes, where light hearted banter (that could be taken as homophobic) regularly occurs..

Truth is, he's not homophobic, his comments weren't homophobic (even if he used the term poof)... He's playing rugby, in the heat of the moment, feeling aggrieved at what he's deemed a dirty tackle and has thrown some abuse... Whether it be calling someone fat, ginger, ugly, gay, spastic etc etc - none of it is 'discriminatory' it's just words used in the current era to get a reaction and show your annoyance - there are no connotations behind what the words once meant many years ago... But of course the PC mock outraged will no doubt point that as me being a homophobe etc etc... But luckily I live in the real world where I know people don't mean everything literally, and where I don't really give a Sh!te about what someone calls me - my Wife often tells me my dinner will be in the dog if I'm late home - it's yet to happen... I've been called a ponce plenty of times for leaving the pub early to be home for the dinner my wife has lovingly prepared (to make sure it doesn't end up in the dog), and on the rugby pitch I've been told many a time someone was going to 'kill me' - yet I never feared for my life, or reported the incident to the Police as I felt my life was threatened...

Well said got to agree,I love the game of rugby league but to many people can not take a joke my god what is it coming to in my eyes and in lots of other peoples eyes he was joking with him

Has zak been cited yet, witch hunters?

One of the strangest responses I have read.

Two things-

Firstly, where at any point do I say he shouldn't be criticised for homophobic abuse? Please show me. If you can prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he has made some, then knock yourself out.

Secondly, you mention Chavs and car insurance which, the last time I checked, is an open and shut case. A ridiculous comparison, considering this one is far more speculative and you have all decided to act as judge, jury and executioner.

Don,t think the saints club will bother with it to be honest, as its had TV coverage you never know, some deaf person from the gay community who can lip read might feel offended.

So even though he hasn't been cited, no one on the field has complained, people are still going to take it as fact what he said based on unreliable lip reading skills.

You people.

What I can't fathom is that in the middle of what was a decent game, people have been more bothered about pausing, rewinding, replaying that incident over and over just to try and work out what he said - why weren't they just enjoying the game?

It really is sad.